Female Emotions Impact Sensation Sensitivity

A groundbreaking study examined how negative emotions might impact a woman’s sensitivity to sensations of pain and itch. Researchers induced positive and negative emotions in female research subjects and then tested them for their sensitivity to pain (cold pressor test) and itch (histamine test).

The “results showed that the scores for itch and pain evoked by histamine and the cold pressor test, respectively, were significantly higher in the negative than in the positive emotion condition…” They went on to note that “these findings for the first time indicate in an experimental design that emotions play a role in sensitivity to somatosensory sensations of both itch and pain.”

This study demonstrates just some of the benefits of positive emotions. There are likely many more benefits to living a harmonious life.